20 Warning Signs That You Need To Treat Your Body Better

Your body has some very simple ways to tell you about its basic needs. If it needs energy, you feel hungry. If it needs rest, you feel sleepy. And if you stick your hand in a fire, the searing agony shooting up your arm will tell you to take it out right away, you idiot. Some of its other messages, however, can be more subtle. But that doesn’t make them any less important, and listening to them could even save your life. So here are 20 warnings from your body that you need to take better care of it.

20. Fatigue

We all feel a bit tired once in a while. However, if that exhaustion extends for days, you might be one of the 20 percent of Americans affected by fatigue. While it can be brought on by stress or sleep deprivation, it can also be a sign of an iron deficiency, heart problems or even diabetes, all of which mean that it could be high time to change your diet. First see your doctor to make sure, though.

19. Pale skin

A pallid complexion has long been seen as a sign of ill health, and there is indeed science to back up this conventional wisdom. Pale skin can, in fact, be a sign of an iron deficiency. “When red blood cells become low with iron, they become smaller and paler in the center so skin also becomes paler,” Marilyn Murr of the University of Texas Health Science Center told Everyday Health in 2015. Regardless of your skin tone, if the inside of your bottom eyelid is unusually pale, then some red meat and spinach may be in order.